Grail (Babylon 5)

"Grail" is an episode from the first season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.

Synopsis

A traveler named Aldous Gajic comes to the station in search of the Holy Grail. Having sent information requests to the ambassadors prior to his arrival, he is greeted as a very important guest, "Honored Seeker", by Ambassador Delenn and her aide Lennier. In Minbari culture, "Honoured Seeker" is used to denote those on a spiritual quest, and are afforded considerable respect, even if the Seeker is not himself Minbari. In the process of his search, Gajic gets caught up in the underworld of Babylon 5, as an underworld thug, Deuce, starts using an alien to "brain wipe" people who pose a threat to him.

Thomas "Jinxo" Jordan, who was present on all four previous Babylon stations, believes that he is a bearer of the Babylon Curse because every time Jinxo has left a Babylon station, the station is either destroyed or, in the case of Babylon 4, it disappears.

After being caught red-handed by security, Jinxo initially is tried for picking Gajic's pocket, but during the trial Gajic requests that Jinxo be released into his remedial custody. These two characters form an unlikely friendship.

Jinxo owes Deuce money.

Gajic and Jinxo go to Delenn and Lennier and to Ambassador Londo Mollari and Vir, but neither delegation can help him to find the Grail. They go to Ambassador Kosh's quarters, and Jinxo recognizes him as the thing that has been brain-wiping people.

Meanwhile, Dr. Franklin figures out that a quasi-sentient beast from Centauri space called a Na'ka'leen Feeder is what is "brain wiping" people. Centauris Londo and Vir lock themselves in their quarters, for Centauri fear Na'ka'leen Feeders. Londo places angry calls to Centauri Prime demanding to know how a Na'ka'leen could have arrived on the station.

Later while trying to get Jinxo, Deuce's men capture Gajic. Jinxo goes and gets Sinclair and Garibaldi; with a team they fight off Deuce and his men, and the Na'ka'leen Feeder that Deuce put in a replica of Kosh's suit. Since no one knows what Vorlons look like, he had put the feeder inside the replica of Kosh's suit, to scare people into thinking he had the Vorlons on his side. They save the person the feeder is about to get, and Deuce is about to shoot Jinxo, but Gajic jumps in the way and is shot.

Garibaldi and his team then open fire on the feeder, which has come out of the suit and gotten one of his men; they kill the feeder, and Deuce is about to run away when Sinclair shoots him. Gajic realizes he is mortally wounded and bequeaths his possessions and leadership in his order to Jinxo, who then takes his place trying to find the Holy Grail.

Garibaldi is able to convince Londo and Vir to come out of their quarters.

Babylon 5 fails to go 'boom' on Thomas' departure, possibly breaking the "Babylon Curse".

Arc significance

• Jinxo's explanation of his "curse" clarifies the circumstances of the destruction of the first three previous Babylon Stations, and indicates that the disappearance of Babylon 4 was particularly sudden and uncanny.
• While talking with Gajic, Delenn and Lennier indicate for the first time that the warrior and religious castes of Minbari are usually at odds.
• Kosh's reply of "good" when told that the mystery of the Vorlons' true appearance has been misused to provoke fear among the population of the station hints at the deliberate manipulation he is engaged in.
• According to series creator, primary writer, and executive producer J. Michael Straczynski, "...the [G]rail story was fairly self-contained, not much in the way of arc related stuff there."^[1]

Production details

• The character of Mr. Flinn is played by and credited as John Flinn, AKA John C. Flinn III, the primary DP for the series.^[1]
• The term "cycles," as used in Grail, refers to station revolutions, a period of about one minute. The reference is not used again in that way in the series.^[2]

References

External links

• Grail at The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5